This invention is a one-way gear, i.e. a gear which can drive another gear in one direction only.
Various types of one-way gears have been known in the prior art. Such gears are useful in a variety of applications, including the manufacture of watches and clocks, the manufacture of motors, and in any other field in which rotational motion is transmitted from one member to another.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,436,231 contains an example of a one-way gear. The latter patent discloses a synchronous motor which starts at random, in either direction, when electric power is applied. The patent provides a gear which allows the motor to turn in the desired direction, and which causes the gear to "lock" if the motor attempts to turn the gear in the other direction. Each tooth of the gear has steps which prevent motion in the undesired direction. The steps play no role in the rotation of the gear in the normal direction. The modified gears of the latter patent must be used in pairs; it is not possible to achieve the desired locking effect when the modified gear engages a standard gear.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,399,925 shows another unidirectional gear drive, this drive having teeth which are alternately wide and narrow. U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,794 shows a one-way gear drive in which the module, or tooth size, varies between the two gears. Further examples of unidirectional gear drives are given in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,321,839, 4,223,528, 4,207,777, 4,200,000, 4,108,016,and 4,051,744.
The present invention provides a one-way gear which can be used either in pairs or in conjunction with a standard gear. It can be driven at high speeds without jamming, and provides a very positive locking effect, preventing movement in the undesired direction. The invention can be used in a wide variety of applications.